treme, pronounced treh-MAY, or TREH-may, or tree-mee, or...

Have you seen Treme? It's co-created by David Simon, the man behind The Wire, and quite a few of the actors from there appear in Treme as well. There's a fourth season due later this year.

If you've not yet seen it, you're in for a treat - particularly if you love food and music. Because that's what this love letter to the city of New Orleans and its second-line culture is mainly about - many of the characters are musicians (with several legends, like Dr John, playing themselves), chefs or restaurant owners. Although the storylines don't have quite the same dramatic heft as those in The Wire, I love it.

You can read about the second line parades here. Better yet, have a gander at one in action:

Watching a few episodes again recently made me kick myself that I never went when I had the wherewithal so to do. But I could go and get the fixin's to make myself a po-boy.

Along with gumbo, ettouffee, muffulettas, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and beignets, the po-boy - a messy, overstuffed giant sandwich - is one of the classics of New Orleans' cuisine. Apart from shrimps and oysters there are innumerable different fillings offered, including catfish, soft-shell crabs, roast beef, chicken and sausage, okra and remoulade, turkey and gravy, and meatballs. The classic toppings to complete the sandwich are mayo, shredded lettuce and pickles, with hot sauce on the side.

I'm breezily telling you all this as though I'm some authority, whereas, not only have I never been, I've also never eaten a po-boy before. Neither of these facts, seemingly, were of sufficient import to deflate my insanely confident belief that I could make a version worthy of sharing with the world. This medication lark really is a tricky thing to get right.

a brief history of the po-boy

The birthplace of the po-boy sandwich was, by all accounts, the Martin Brothers' Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Market (opened in 1922). Before opening the restaurant, the brothers had worked as streetcar operators. In July of 1929, what turned out to be a bitter, divisive and violent strike was begun by the city's motormen and conductors.

The two brothers, Clovis and Benjamin, in support, offered the strikers the chance of a free meal while the strike lasted - a sandwich filled with gravy and beef trimmings, or gravy and potatoes. Bennie Martin said, "We fed those men free of charge until the strike ended. Whenever we saw one of the striking men coming, one of us would say, 'Here comes another poor boy.'

Because "the traditional French bread's narrowed ends meant that much of each loaf was wasted", the Martins began working with a baker, John Gendusa, to develop a 40-inch loaf of bread that had a uniform, rectangular shape from end to end. They'd served sandwiches with the same fillings before the strike, but the size of these "poor boys" was something new.

It's a lovely story. It also appears to be true.

a visit to crabby jack's

So that's what a real dirty food place is like. And, great God almighty, look at the size of those sandwiches.

Now, 'dirty food' is the big thing at the moment. It seems there's a new high-end burger, fried chicken or BBQ joint opening up every other day. Some are brilliant (Pitt Cue), others less so. That they serve working class food mainly to an achingly hip gastroscenti, though ironic, isn't an issue for me - it's just a sad but inevitable result of our ridiculously class-ridden food culture. No, the big problem, as with any imported food trend, is that you can end up with the vision of hell that is Jamie Oliver's Diner - do read Chris Pople's withering review.

Of course Britain has long had it's very own indigenous, and distinctly unhip, dirty food scene: greasy spoons. Although, as it turns out (according to the O.E.D.), even that phrase is imported from America:

the bread

Po-boy aficionados emphasise that using the right bread is crucial (as with any sandwich really); a French baguette, they'll insist, is not the answer here. The characteristics of New Orleans po-boy bread are, as I understand it, a soft and airy interior with a slightly crisp crust.

There isn't, to my knowledge, any bakery making po-boy bread hereabouts. But there is, just down the road at the Elephant & Castle, a Longdan Express which sells Vietnamese bánh mì, with a crumb as delicate and insubstantial as an angel's fart. Probably half the width and far less robust, I'd say, than the po boy loaf. I doubt it could handle a big sloppy mess of that roast beef served at Crabby Jack's, for example. But it'll more than do for me.

They sell two sizes of bánh mì, the larger being 10" in length, as well as a loaf in the shape of a hedgehog. No, I don't know either. The lot in the photo below cost me £2.70.

I think if I hadn't been able to buy bánh mì I'd have gone for what the supermarkets call a french stick, rather than a baguette. If any one has had the good fortune to have eaten real po-boy bread (i.e. from the Leidenheimer or Gendusa bakeries) and bánh mì, I'd be interested to know how, if at all, they compare.

This may well be considered, across the pond, a goddamn pinko, limey, pansy-ass travesty. All I can tell you is it was really good. This is what God has for tea instead of a fish finger butty.

the recipe

I couldn't resist, while at Longdan Express, buying a 150g packet of tempura flour (ingredients: wheat flour, rice flour, starch, baking powder and salt) for 50p. You may want to use your own batter mixture - just keep it light.

I fancied quick-pickling the half a cucumber that I had in the fridge, which I did the day before. Otherwise, I'd have used dill pickles from a jar.

Lettuce -wise, keep it simple: iceberg. Failing that cos or romaine (which is what I had). Definitely not rocket.

If you're making the dill pickle: scrape the tines of a fork length ways all around the cucumber to form a pattern then slice it, not too thinly. Heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, bayleaf and mustard seeds in a pan to boiling, then remove from the heat and add the cucumber slices. Stir, then allow to cool. Add the dill, stir again and transfer to a kilner jar or similar. Bung in the fridge until required.

Make the batter just before you're going to fry the prawns: mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then whisk in 80ml of the water, adding more as required up to 100ml - you want a thin batter about the consistency of single cream. Don't worry about a few lumps.

When you're ready to make the po-boy: pour vegetable oil into a pan to a depth of no more than a third of the height of the pan. Heat to 175C. Season the prawns and coat lightly in flour, then add to the bowl of batter and coat thoroughly. Drop the prawns into the pan one at a time and fry for about 4 or 5 minutes until crisp and golden. Depending on the size of the pan and the amount of oil you've got, you can do this in several batches. Remove the prawns from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Prepare your po-boy: Split the bánh mì in half length ways. Spread mayonnaise generously on one half, and spread (if you fancy it) either hot pepper jelly or mustard on the other. Strew the lettuce onto one half, pile on the prawns, and top with pickled cucumber slices.

Cut the sandwich in half, arrange on a plate, and serve with a bottle of hot sauce on the side.

My local bakery does a 'hedgehog' loaf (alongside 'tiger' bread) but it doesn't have eyes like the one in your pic. No, I don't know why either!

Reply

Joanna

9/6/2013 13:49:36

Gutted to be allergic to prawns as this looks really yummy. I'd probably devour it without them to be honest. Mainly because I'm obsessed with bread.

It's really nice to have you blogging again :) x

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Cathy

11/6/2013 08:36:45

Nigel Slater makes Chicken Po Boy in his Real Fast Food book. Slice a chicken breast and dip the slices in milk and coat with seasoned polenta. Fry on both sides and cram into the bread in the same way. I'm sure you could use the tempura batter etc same as the prawns.

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Joanna

11/6/2013 11:18:52

THANK YOU!!!

I will definitely be trying that, will look for his book at the library.

Chz

10/6/2013 01:07:21

It looks delicious, but I reject any dill pickle that has sugar in the brine. It ain't right!

Lovely. You probably won't be too surprised that I've done rather a lot of research into the bread. Many people say that you can't make the bread outside of New Orleans because of the unique climate there - it apparently contributes to the extra crusty er, crust and the light interior. I think you're right though, the rice flour baguette may be close. I have never been either. Also one of my favourite sandwiches ever.

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The Skint Foodie

10/6/2013 10:52:36

No, not surprised at all! Was thinking of the Empress of Sandwiches (that's you) as I was making it. If ever I'm holdin' the foldin' again, I think a trip to the Big easy might just be first on the agenda.

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Ignatius

10/6/2013 11:14:50

I have been loving Treme too,very impressed by some of the chefs acting chops. Special mention to David Chang and Emeril Lagasse.
I can't think of any UK chefs who would come over so well can you?

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Robert

10/6/2013 13:17:16

Looks very good! I can just imagine the tempura batter crunching along with an acidic crunch of the pickles.

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Robin

11/6/2013 10:39:59

One look at the Diner menu makes me almost glad I don't live in London any more.. (although we have a fair slice of that kind of twaddle down here in Plymouth, it doesn't have the prices attached). It does surprise me though. I thought Jamie O had more direct control over 'his' outlets. And from the one or two of his protégés / apprentices I've met, he's been the real deal to them - following them up conscientiously..

'banh mi' is Vietnamese for 'bread', but the common loaf is the one in your picture which is based on the baguette (Vietnam was a French colony). You also find the same bread in Cambodia and Laos. In all 3 countries you can buy it hot early in the morning. In the past sellers would ride the streets on bicycles with large baskets covered with cloth containing the bread, but that's a thing of the past now. A common morning breakfast in all 3 countries is 'banh mi pate' (or 'nom pang pate' outside Vietnam). This is the warm bread filled with a local pate or terrine, salad, and chilli (and smothered in margarine if you aren't watchful). It's great street food and cheap, but this po' boy sounds even more appetising. Plenty of prawns here so I might give it a go! Thx

From the top: gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffée are Cajun dishes. They originated in the farming and swamp country to the west of New Orleans, on the other side of the Atchafalaya Basin. The rest are, indeed, New Orleans native cuisine, as is a wide range of "refined" cooking like shrimp and grits, oysters Rockefeller, and so on.

I've always found the authentic Po Boy loaf to be rather gooey inside, but that's okay because some places lightly toast it. Whatever, I agree that it's unique to the city and that the crust is a minor miracle, because this is clearly not "artisinal" baking.

To me, the canonical fillings of a po boy are either roast beef, as noted in the origin story, or oysters. Roast beef for big spenders, oysters (common as dirt at one point) for the po-est of the po. Shrimp and catfish aren't uncommon, either. I'd lose the pickle, however: the only pickled products in actual New Orleans cooking would be the stuff Central Grocery puts on muffalettas, a kind of olive-and-pepper-and-herb combo I used to get in suburban New York as "olive condite." (Another is Wop Salad dressing, which you can buy in a jar.) But mayo, ketchup (or cocktail sauce) for the oyster or shrimp, lettuce, that's good. Especially enhanced with a little hot sauce, Tabasco or Crystal, whichever you have, remembering that Crystal has extenders to make it thicker.

You've overcomplicated the crunchy outer covering of your shrimp, though. I can't imagine what that tastes like. Really, all you do is roll your shrimp in flour, dip them in an egg-and-flour batter (with some salt and pepper in it, or maybe some Slap Ya Mama seasoning), and then roll them in corn meal before dumping in hot oil til they're golden. Of course, I don't know if you guys can get proper cornmeal, either: I import mine from the States every time I visit.

Been a long time since I've been to New Orleans, because I don't much like the place. But if you're ever in that part of the world and head to Cajun country to go knee-deep in crawfish and get you some sausage sauce-piquant or stuffed ponce (pig's stomach filled with sausage meat and pot-roasted) or need to find some absolutely amazing boudin, let me know. I was just there this spring and updated my mental database!

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Khristy

6/8/2013 08:30:48

As a native louisisanian I can vouch for all this. I hate goin to Nola and avoid it when at all possible. Just a small town girl I guess. There are more than enough joints, even just gas station joints ( hello boudin), to keep me satisfied. Make the requisite stop in Nola, then head to Houma and hit me up. It's about an hour from Nola and soooo much more fun. It can still involve booze if you want lol we have drive through daiquiri shops. The gulf is another hour away for fishing and other water activities. Or there's fishing and crabbing in just about any other water source nearby, which there's a lot of. But the food is the focus. The point of that whole ramble is to say that there's more to Louisiana than Nola and might be more affordable than you think. We have po boys outside of Nola, too.

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Christine Bryant

26/6/2013 06:33:14

I remember hedgehog bread from my childhood (some 50+ years ago) in London. My mother told me that it was milk bread, and made in that shape to appeal to children. As we also had school milk when I was at primary school, perhaps it was bakers too doing their bit to ensure that children, during a time of rationing, obtained the necessary vitamins/minerals to grow into healthy adults?

Just enjoyed a weekend in the Big Easy, finished off with exactly this fried shrimp po'boy from a place called Mother's. http://www.mothersrestaurant.net/ Well done, you! Yours looks perfect!

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Alex

1/8/2013 12:50:58

Guys! I thought you might be interested to know about our popup restaurant, if you're in London next week...

It's called Swamp Things, and we're doing Cajun/Creole inspired cuisine, and, I hope, doing it right for once!

We're popping up at a new place called the Doll's House, 35 Hoxton Square, on the 7th, 8th and 9th of August. On Saturday the 10th we'll be doing Po'Boys to order from 2 till 10.

Here's a link to our Facebook event where you'll find more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/266561733483064/

Please come! We've been working hard to get the Po'boy somewhere right (and yes, it IS hard here in London, and I have been to NOLA so I know how wonderful these monstrous sandwiches are), so I'd love to hear feedback on em.

Hi, that looks like a decent effort. You're right on the bread - you can't get it outside NOLA, let alone in London. I've been trying for months. I've decided to abandon authenticity on this point and just get the best bread I can for my po-boys which will be hitting the streets of london for the first time next week. Doing roast beef "debris" and fried shrimp (with cornmeal and seasoning on mine). Look me up on twitter if you fancy trying one. Cheers, George

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George

4/10/2013 07:36:02

Forgot to add the twitter name - @bigeasypoboys if you're interested.

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Gerard

27/10/2013 14:48:47

Banh mi bread seems like a pretty good substitute (I was in NO this week; it being monday I had beans and rice instead of bread things). I think I would do what the banh mi joints often do, pop the bread into a hot oven for thirty seconds or so before cutting it open. Makes the crust a bit brittle, which is really nice.